The Sky's The Limit!
by Elipsiis
Summary: The Naruko that we know and love gets to know the harsh reality of life in a ninja village very early on, unlike most young children her age. While they sleep peacefully in their beds...our heroine is on the run! But she is unlike most children her age... Her potential is unfathomable - The Sky's the Limit! Strong!Smart!Naruko AllXFemNaruko - FRESH CHAPTERS 1 & 2 NOW UP 08/11/2018
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1 Reworked!**_

 **Current Timeline**

At the tender age of 4, a little blonde, padded barefoot down a dark alley at a harried pace.

Her small feet sore and bleeding, shoes taken from her with more glee than was necessary, by the _supposed_ _'mother hen'_ of the orphanage, read _prison_ **.**

Her startling blue eyes, glassy with tears, that threatened to cascade down her whiskered cheeks. She could hear the heavy footfalls followed her clumsy uncoordinated getaway.

"SHE WENT THIS WAY," a villager shouted with glee "IN HERE!" They shouted some more.

She was cornered with nowhere to go and no time to think her way out. Why didn't she listen to her gut feeling? That feeling that had never let her astray?

Then the damn had broken, salty tears falling freely, splashing down her malnourished form.

In her panic she did the only thing she could and pushed and shoved her tiny body behind the heavy looking dumpster at the very bottom of the alley in an attempt to hide from her tormenters. She silently quivered, still sobbing silently, at the approaching footsteps while questions flittered through her mind. One thing was abundantly clear to her, the villagers, the people who were currently amassing in the same alley she was...wanted her dead.

 _ **Flashback**_

Now Naruko wasn't your average 4-year-old _despite_ an age-old mass of orange furry fox chakra inside her.

No Naruko, was most definitely a prodigy.

She learnt to walk six months faster than any of her peers, talk and was intuitively aware of people's intentions. She learnt by observing whatever she could and could remember everything she ever saw or read. It was perhaps due to the very environment she was being brought up in, that this sense developed. She of course, had no one and nothing to compare herself to and so began to think herself the norm.

Aside from the ordinary, (well as ordinary as all that is), she had fully accessed her chakra network and without realising the importance of her discovery, had moved onto advanced Chakra manipulation. To her, her Chakra was her only friend and the snippets of conversation she'd grasped from ninja training nearby and occasionally from ninja walking down the street, were invaluable.

She made it a game, a challenge, to test her limits. She created spherical bubbles lighter than air, so they floated above her and filled with an orange flame so pure it sparkled and lit up her small room like balloons filled with Milky Ways. She created fireworks that lit up her eyes and filled her with hope and made beads of light which chased each other around her small space. She made Chakra constructs in the shape of animals aplenty, one the shape of a kitten she had once seen and let it chase a glowing mouse around the small space. They would roll and tumble and frolic together without a care in the world.

It gave her endless joy, to create something from nothing and a sense of fulfilment like no other. She would often dream of the possibilities that were as vast as the sky and that she would someday be free enough to uncover them all.

The Chakra running through her gave her a warmth that was _indescribable_ , and in the darkness, she clung to it - and it to her.

The matron of the orphanage might've noticed her talents had she bothered to spend any time at all with the young blonde. If anyone knew she was gifted with high intelligence, one could only imagine the reaction of the villagers she was already hated by.

It was these lines of thinking which made her bitter.

' _Heaven forbid the 'Demon' could actually think for herself!'_ She pondered morosely, gazing through a hole she had gouged into the wood that was her boarded up window. Now wasn't _that_ a whole new can of worms.

Yes, she had noticed that while she wasn't the only child at the orphanage - she was treated differently. Segregated from the rest of the children. Eternally grounded, but for what, she didn't know. But there she had remained since the time she could first form thought, in her small square of space; _the_ _room_.

Should the villagers catch sight of Naruko at the high-up window of _the room_ , (she loathed to call it a bedroom), she would receive vicious glares that promised something she couldn't yet comprehend, as smart as she was – she was still only 4.

Though rather than let it get to her she decided that she must think about it logically.

After all, they couldn't touch her, how could they when she never left the room bar one escorted visit to the bathroom a day. She was given putrid water and was lucky if she got one meal a day, often stale bread served with a chilly flavourless broth. It was a miracle that she had never gotten sick! There wasn't much they could do to make her life any more miserable...right?

Though, of course, by now her small little space had been boarded up. Not even the light of day could reach her, only the sounds around her permeated the room. Dull thuds and ringing laughter were sometimes carried up to the attic to where Naruko was.

' _More time to think anyway...'_

And so, in the unending darkness Naruko began to process what she could.

' _My name is Naruko Uzumaki.'_

'… _Made up name given by the orphanage? …Perhaps. However, no-one in the village shared my surname that I'm aware of and they aren't such imaginative creatures to make up such a name._

 _Which means someone_ _ **had**_ _to have_ _ **given**_ _me a name. A parent? A Relative?_

 _If I am so hated, then why would they keep a name I was given by someone else? They could've just changed my name to Demon Child and be done with it. Therefore, it had to be someone of importance that gave me my name. Someone respected, someone whose opinion mattered. Someone also then had to have power enough to enforce it.'_

' _Hmm, if this is the case, then why-oh-why am I treated like a piece of gum stuck to the floor?'_ She questioned in her mind.

' _I have blonde hair and blue eyes.'_

 _'Whisker marks on my cheeks_.'

' _Hmm unusual for the village I suppose, but wait...'_ Her eyes widened, a stray thought, plucked from the recesses of her mind. ' _Not unlike a description of a certain well respected, now deceased Fourth Hokage...'_

When she could she would sneak out of the orphanage unnoticed and wander the streets at night. Naruko didn't have a lot of pride and had no problem dumpster-diving for any useful tid-bits of information, for her thirst for knowledge was far greater than that.

So, she scavenged what she could and observed her surroundings carefully, it wouldn't do to be caught - the consequences were too horrible to consider.

That night, she reviewed her prizes; Shoes, clothing, old ninja weapons, old jutsu scrolls and her personal favourite, books. _Quite the hoard._ All of which were carefully stowed away in an old used cabinet she had procured, fixed and hidden atop the Hokage monument, (or more specifically – up the Fourth Hokage's left nostril). Except the shoes, she could really use some newer ones, given that her current state of dress left much to be desired. Her shoes were by far the biggest problem, straps of the tatty sandals thin and worn and frayed - a wonder they managed to stay on! Most of all she hated having cold feet, she could cope with a lot of things but having cold feet was the absolute worst (in her opinion)! Her newly found shoes were just the right size, slightly worn looking but they shone in comparison with her old ones.

' _Really, people are so wasteful...'_ She mused _._

It was upon the Hokage monument, atop the head of The Fourth Hokage, that Naruko had taught herself to read and write. It was in reading that she found her love for books.

Two books, (from her previous scavenging), in particular had secured a special place in her heart.

The first called 'A Tale of a Gutsy Ninja' and the other, a very detailed account of the previous Hokages and their famous ventures. Naruko loved how the main character's name 'Naruto' was so similar to her own and would often envision herself in his place, fantasizing the adventures she could have, it was just another way she learnt to cope with her living conditions.

But it was the book about the previous Hokage's that had her in a state of awe. The Yondaime, The Fourth Hokage, was perhaps her favourite of all the Kage.

It was the narrator's description of him that captured her attention. Blonde hair and a gaze that was said to freeze enemies with just a glance, along with his signature jutsu the 'Hiraishin' earning him the nickname 'Yellow Flash'. All of the Hokage's were of course no less impressive, all incredibly charismatic, all with an inner strength she could feel emanating from the words on the paper and all had the ability to see through their enemies, pre-empting their attacks. This perhaps, she thought, was their greatest strength. She from there absorbed and retained all of the information she read and never forgot a word. She figured the key to outwitting your enemy was to be prepared and an eidetic memory would certainly help her there.

So back along her previous line of thought...

' _The only blondes she knew of were a clan called the Yamanaka's. Blonde, yes, just not her particular shade.'_

The fourth Hokage, from what she had gathered from her favourite book, was a man with long bangs of yellow hair and eyes an icy blue colour.

' _Well blonde hair and blue eyes. Hmm, if she were to follow that thought then hypothetically if he_ _ **were**_ _her father, what about the whiskers, where did they come from? She hadn't seen or heard of anyone with this trait. But what kind of parent would stick their child into_ _ **that**_ _place?'_

' _From what she had seen of the Hokage monument the Kage certainly didn't appear to have whiskers. Then again, the only opportunities she had to take jaunt outside were at night and wasn't that just it was plausible that he could also have the same markings as herself.'_

Her intuition was nudging her, part of what she had though up was right, but she was missing some information.

' _Another restless night for me then._ ' She huffed and curled into her threadbare blanket trying to ignore the biting cold.

The next day the little blonde decided to take up the topic with one of the older residents of the orphanage. After all, let's face it, no adult would give her the time of day.

On her only bathroom break of the day, she managed to slip past her _'w_ _atcher'_ and head towards the voices she had been hearing through the walls.

Squinting slightly as the light stung her eyes she quickly observed the child residents and saw someone suitable a short way away from the other children gathered in the sofa room. He was sat by himself, rolling a small blue rubber ball absentmindedly between his palms a look of boredom graced his features as he looked out the window.

Squaring her small shoulders, she approached the older male orphan.

The boy, no older than 12, looked up at the sounds of her small footsteps and jumped to his feet.

She had startled him, it appeared. The small bouncy object rolled upon the uneven floorboards towards where she stood. She hesitated for a second, eyeing the boy's reaction and picked up the ball.

 _'Here.'_ She held the ball on the palm of her hand and extended her arm, conscious of invading his personal space. She knew first impressions were important and Hokage-be-damned she wanted her answers.

When he didn't immediately react, she tilted her head in confusion and gestured for him to take her peace offering. She could see in his eyes the moment he registered just who held his toy on her palm.

"Stay away from me, how did you get out _Demon_!?"He hissed loudly, scrabbling back away from her till he dropped behind the sofa, drawing unwelcome attention to that end of the room. She frowned at his reaction, after all, how threatening can a four-year-old be?

' _Demon?'_ She asked her intuition told her that this was important. Yes - she had been called it before but had thought it a cruel nickname as best. ' _Could there be more to it?'_ She wondered. She watched as his eyes darted around him as if looking for an escape or one of her _'Watchers'_.

"MATRON!" He shouted.

The flustered looking head matron rushed around the corner head swivelling from side to side in her search. Her beady black eyes caught sight of the small blonde. Her eyes narrowed, and teeth gnashed together in anger with an audible snap, face purpling with blotches and angry vein on her short neck.

Not the most attractive of expressions she had seen on the woman's face before. Never had she treated Naruko with anything other than utter loathing. Never did she try to hide the hate in her expression. Everyone, (outside of the orphanage), knew of her ' _mother hen'_ tendencies towards ' _her'_ children. But not Naruko, to Naruko this was nothing outside of normal.

Fortunately for Naruko this particular brand of hate had never escalated into anything more than being roughly thrown into _'the room'._ Until now.

Intuition flaring Naruko backed away, filling with an overwhelming sense of dread, until her back met the wall. _She had to get away!_ Whatever she was mad at had to be bad, she was now practically frothing at the mouth!

She thundered over to Naruko and quickly grabbed her arm before she could run.

[SLAP!] The sound echoed in her ears, vision showing small black dots from the force of the impact on her cheek. Naruko unsteadily gazed at her attacker, one small hand nursing her now raw cheek. A red claw-shaped mark covered the entire side of her face and one of her eyes was closed in pain.

"What do you think you're doing down here? Tried to escape, did we? Well lucky for you I just got tired of taking so much time out of my day to look after _Demon_ spawn like you! There's only so much patience one woman can have!" She screeched as if that justified the matter. She then nodded to herself and made her decision. The clasp of her hand on Naruko's arm turned punishing and bruised. Naruko winced as she was dragged towards the door of the orphanage.

"Today's finally the day I can say good riddance! That old fool we call Hokage seems to be looking the other way while we punish you. _Serves. You. Right._ " She punctured every syllable with a shake of Naruko's arm. _"_ I can safely say no remnants of the fox will ever darken my doorstop again!"

She forced open the door, hitting Naruko with it in the process, stamped down the steps. Naruko's tiny legs were unable to keep pace with her determined strides and hit each step on the way down. After which she was quite literally flung unceremoniously into the dirt.

Not before taking her shoes of course and spitefully muttering close to the little girl's face with spittle flying from her lips, _"_ _Fox_ _Demons_ shouldn't have a need for shoes!"

 _ **Flashback end**_

So, it is here we find Naruko, tiny body and mind aching with the realisation that the reason for her whiskers, the reason for the hate and mistreatment. The reason she had never seen daylight, or a simple smile turned her way, was because she housed the _Nine Tailed Fox._

A shiver racked her small frame as her intuition confirmed her theory, small blue ball still clutched in her bony grip. She finally had her answer.

' _Well, there's not a lot I can do about it now,'_ she reasoned. Breathing deeply her muddled thoughts slowly began to clear.

Her eyes, if she had a mirror, were glowing a brilliant orange and had hardened in resolve.

Naruko closed her eyes, shutting out the world, her breath once in fast bursts slowed and became surer and steadier the more she focused and immersed herself in the feeling.

Deep within, she felt a tingling warmth spread from the tips of her toes to the ends of her fingertips and back again. She shivered, not in fear but anticipation. She grinned, something was coming.

Delving into the unknown, Naruko grasped at that warm feeling and pulled. Bit by bit her temperature rose, her breath in the cold air leaving a ghostly trail. She could feel that familiar nudge, urging her to surround herself in this power, to shield her.

A pressure came upon the alleyway, the kind that made the villager's skin turn to goose flesh. Some on them hesitated gaits faltering, some froze on spot and began to back away, while the less aware amongst them charged on heedless towards the small blonde they knew was hiding behind the filthy dumpster at the end of the jetty.

 **Elsewhere...**

A man wearing a checkered mask, paced furiously, the tap of his well-polished shoes the only sound echoing around the hallways he stood in.

"Shit" he cursed. "Am I too late?!"

His annoying assistant, for once, stayed silent, watching his master wear a hole in the tiled floor.

"COME ON, HURRY! Please! Let this work! _"_ He whispered in desperation. He knew what he was doing was wrong but there was no longer any time. " _Please," he prayed._

Through a window in the hallway, the two men watched with bated breath as the seven strongest assembled on the hill beyond.

Gifted with the ability to see Flames – the masked man could see the Flames of the Rainbow had gathered at last and if the situation wasn't so dire, he might have been able to appreciate the view.

As the sun rose upon the gathered seven a light so bright, so pure, descended from the heavens upon the circle of people gathered.

Light illuminated the ground around them, their forms casting great shadows that reached the window where the two men observed.

If one looked closely, they could see that the light was made from condensed Sky Flames. Flames that appeared to be coming from a portal in the clouds, pointing downwards from a distant location and unbeknownst to them, across the rift in dimensions to Konohagakure (The Village Hidden in the Leaves).

The seven strongest, shielded their eyes from the now immense brightness and felt their very energies being tapped into and fed into the unknown...

Little did they know that this would be the beginning of the Arcobolano.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _ **Previously…**_

 _As the sun rose upon the gathered seven a light so bright, so pure, descended from the heavens upon the circle of people gathered._

 _Light illuminated the ground around them, their forms casting great shadows that reached the window where the two men observed._

 _If one looked closely, they could see that the light was made from condensed Sky Flames. Flames that appeared to be coming from a portal in the clouds, pointing downwards from a distant location and unbeknownst to them, across the rift in dimensions to Konohagakure (The Village Hidden in the Leaves)._

 _The seven strongest, shielded their eyes from the now immense brightness and felt their very energies being tapped into and fed into the unknown..._

 _Little did they know that this would be the beginning of the Arcobolano._

The heat now radiated from Naruko in visible waves. Waves which easily pushed the dumpster away from her and sent it tumbling towards the oncoming villagers.

A circular area wide clearing cut a path around her. Heat and orange flames so intense they formed a transparent wall, pulses of power flowing freely in ebbs and flows, like the harshest of seas.

In the epicentre, Naruko had her eyes closed in concentration unaware of the chaos happening around her. She placed her trust completely in her power and in her intuition to guide her as it saw fit. Not caring that her actions had likely alerted the entire ninja force to the happenings of the alley.

Then she felt it, an echo of a heartbeat she thought she _knew_ reaching out to her. The clouds in the sky parted and a powerful beam of light erupted from the atmosphere.

The light fell upon her and her dome of Flames and began to merge together. Her Flames fed the light and the light, in turn fed her.

Power unlike anything she had ever imagined began to sink into her pores. It jolted her at first and she tensed at the intrusion until she gradually relaxed and let the power flow. Through her veins and into her lungs it went. It swirled through her heart and lungs and around her brain. She felt it rush across her vision and as her eyes began to spark with light, she felt herself teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.

The villagers panicked, thinking the Fox was trying to return and scrambled to get away, their mission to see an end to the girl, now, long forgotten. They shouted unnecessarily for their ninja protectors, who upon arriving, struggled to take in the scene in which dozens of villagers were surrounding one little girl - this certainly did not paint a pretty picture. But it was the Fox child, so exceptions could be made, and their consciences could remain clear.

A few of the braver ones had tried to reach the girl but had only gotten burnt for their troubles. Some ninja flew through water jutsu ranging from C up to A rank, in an attempt to extinguish the flames but the heat was such that it simply evaporated anything threw at it. So, they tried a multitude of different jutsu to advance through the transparent wall. From Earth jutsu endeavouring to go under the Flames to Lightning attacks meant to penetrate directly through it, nothing worked at all.

To the shouts of "Hokage-sama!" The Third Hokage landed outside the ring of Flames in full battle armour with his staff 'Enma' in hand. The sealing squad at his back all held multiple large scrolls with the word 'Seal' upon them and grim expressions were held all round.

The Third Hokage let loose a breath, thinking the worse had happened, he had moments before donned his armour and alerted his long-time friend and contract partner, the Monkey King, Enma (who had turned into his staff form) and rushed to the disturbance.

As an old man, he had seen many unbelievable sights both as a young shinobi and throughout past Shinobi wars, but right now he struggled to comprehend what he was looking at.

From a Hokage's perspective, he saw a possible threat and that an unknown power was awakening in front of him and right in the centre was pariah of the village. Should this turn sour, then he had the Sealing team prepared to do what was needed for the good of the village and if that meant he had to order the Sealing of this frail-looking child, then so be it.

From the perspective of Hiruzen Sarutobi, through his aged brown eyes he saw his successors 4-year-old child enveloped in these _Flames_ , eyes closed, her blonde hair flowing behind her in waves down to her tiny waist and her feet now hovering inches off the ground suspended in the dome of power and was at a loss of what to do, his conscience was at war with itself.

He tried to call out to her through the barrier.

"Naruko!" he called and approached as close to the barrier as he dared, the heat was nearly unbearable. "Naruko, can you hear me?!"

At first, he thought she couldn't hear him through the barrier, but her eyes snapped open and looked in his direction, a flicker of recognition filtered across her gaze. Her eyes were beautiful, a shade of sunset orange with an ethereal glow, a memory that he is sure will stay with him.

"Naruko, wh-?" He began but stopped when he realised she was grinning. It may have, in fact been the first genuine smile he seen from her in a long time and it was this that made him hesitate, for just a moment too long.

Her grin slowly slid into a meaningful smile, it was not one of pain but was full of an emotion he couldn't grasp in the heat of the moment. Her form wavered before Hiruzen's eyes and the eyes of those around him. Wavered and faded as did the pressure on the alleyway which fluctuated and simply fell away like spores to the wind. He stood in shock, his arm reaching out mechanically to grasp the small form that was no longer there.

Gone. Gone without a trace – other than the area cleared by the Flames – there wasn't even the slightest hint of what had occurred that afternoon.

Blinking in disbelief, Hiruzen, on unsteady legs made his way to the exact place where Naruko was moments before and fell to his knees. Enma was dropped to the floor by his side while he felt the earth running the dirt through his fingers, it was still warm and the last clue that what he saw was, in fact, reality. He could no longer feel her or her presence or the presence of the Fox, which while hidden within the Seal was something that he could recognize.

"INU!" He gasped.

Immediately at his side was one of his personal Anbu, with the mask of a dog, on one knee and awaiting instruction. The Anbu's head was bowed while he glared at the floor. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white and his teeth ground together, this was _his fault._ "Find her... _Please!_ " Said the Hokage.

The Anbu ninja, Dog (or Inu), known for his tracking ability vanished without a sound in a swirl of leaves. Inu intended to be the one to find her, not just because his Hokage ordered him to, he _swore_ he would look out for her, it was a promise he had made before she was even born, to care for her. He should have stepped in sooner, regardless of orders or the irrational politics that rule the village. Now his pup was gone. _Gone!_ It was _all his fault._ He wouldn't be able to look his Sensei in the eyes when they finally met again in the afterlife. So, he wouldn't rest until he found her or the ones responsible, there would be no saving anyone that stood in his way.

The villagers strewn around the street were shakily picking themselves up. With their realisation came murmurs and whispers which started between themselves, but then rose in volume, until the villagers elatedly began celebrating the demise of the Demon.

"We're free!" One villager shouted in glee. The Demon child was finally gone - though it didn't go completely to plan, the end result was the same!

"The Nine Tailed Fox is finally NO MORE!" His shouts were met with jubilation. Shouts were heard calling for this day of reckoning to be celebrated.

While pandemonium was erupting, no one noticed their aged Hokage had risen to his feet. His eyes were shadowed as he surveyed their reactions, now seeing the villagers' true selves.

He had of course been filled in by reports from ninja first on the scene as to how this began and felt a rage brewing within him. They had started this and _he_ was going to finish it. He tightened his grip on Enma and raised his staff high. With strength a man of his age shouldn't possess, he slammed the staff onto the ground where it cratered around him. The shockwave didn't cause any further damage, his intention was not to injure, but to instil silence.

Nobody moved but the Hokage and while old, he cut an intimidating sight to those around him.

"ANBU! I WANT EVERY SINGLE MAN OR WOMAN IN THIS ALLEY ARRESTED AND TAKEN TO INTERROGATION!" The Hokage fumed, heads were going to _roll_. Only when he clears each and every single one of them of their intentions, will they be released from T  & I (Torture & Interrogation)! It was the least he could do for the girl he considered a Granddaughter.

Anbu hidden within the surroundings, made themselves known and began to gather the now trembling villagers. Those that tried to make an escape were swiftly immobilised and taken away in handcuffs to Ibiki.

The alley was soon deserted and the Third Hokage, finally allowed his shoulders to sag, once again feeling his age. The image of Naruko slowly disintegrating into flame would haunt him, he knew, for years to come.

Once again, Naruko had fallen into unconsciousness. But this time all around her she could feel herself enveloped within a cocoon of Flames, embracing her in a blanket of warmth and comfort. And then nothing. Darkness. A deafening silence and an endless black void all around her, one that echoed as she called out. She wasn't standing, nor was she sitting. Simply floating weightless in her own conscience.

Straining her eyes and her ears, she began to make out silhouettes in the dimness and then sounds that slowly filtered within hearing range, before growing louder and louder. Whispers became Screams! Blood-curdling screams! Pleas for mercy! Sounds of gore and violence, splatters of matter on matter. Nightmare-ish pictures now being shown as shadows on a background filtered through her vision. All in black and white and grainy, like an old movie, except for the blood. Rose red syrupy sprays stained her gaze and she swore she could smell the distinct coppery tang. Gunshots and shocking clashes of weapon on weapon, flashing around her like lightning in a storm. The horror continued she clenched her eyes shut – she wasn't quite sure when she had opened them - and held her hands over her ears trying and failing to block out what was playing on her mind.

' _Am I going mad? I remember seeing Grandpa and then being swept away by a warm wind. Why am I seeing things that shouldn't be in my head?! Why won't it stop?!'_

Then she heard it. A voice above the hundreds of others, but still muffled.

"Do you…?" Said the voice. It echoed about the void and then was consumed by the chatter.

"What did you say?" She couldn't make out the whole question and lowered her hands from her ears as the voices were reduced to loud whispers.

"Do you accept?" They said clearer still. "Will you take on the _Sin_ of the Vongola? Will you take on our blood-filled past and use it to build upon your future?" The deep voice asked.

"Sin? Vongola? I don't understand what you're asking?" She whipped her head from left to right trying to locate the source of the voice. "Who are you? _Where_ are you?"

"We once began as a vigilante group in Italy, the Vongola or 'Clam', we called ourselves. Our goal was to protect those who could not protect themselves, pure and simple. Our good deeds brought us fame and wealth and the land flourished under our care. Neighbouring lands grew covetous and in turn brought about greed, notoriety and dishonour. Our innocent views to protect the populous was swallowed amongst tides and became lost even to the lifeblood of our own. These sins of the past are our _Sin_. Our _time_ is stored within the Vongola rings. We were once before you and may yet come after you. We are with you, should you choose to accept all that we are."

"Why me?" Naruko questioned. "I don't even know where I am anymore."

"You are our successor, a direct descendant of Vongola Primo. Holder of the Flames of the Sky and by purest blood, you are the last in a long line to inherit the Vongola Famiglia. To complete your inheritance and unlock the power of the Rings, you must choose to accept the _Sin_ of the Vongola."

"So, you're saying that I cannot accept this claim without the _Sin_?"

"No…it is not done"

"Why? Who are you? If I am the last in line to succeed, then what happens if I refuse?" She questioned the voice rapidly.

"You have no choice. You must accept the past to build the future anew. The Vongola _must_ live on."

"…I decline. I refuse to accept this blood-filled organisation you speak of, why would I want to rule something built upon the sacrifice of innocent people? You say some of the blood spilt was on the hands of the Vongola themselves? Do you even know how that sounds?! You aren't exactly selling it to me, I'd rather burn it to the ground!" She said with conviction. Never again would she allow her freedom to be restricted nor anyone else's. This was _her_ new start and it certainly wasn't going to begin with ruling a barbaric cult, she'd seen enough of that in Konoha. With the Flames behind her eyes showing her conviction, the figure behind the voice bade the theatrics to stop.

"Such conviction for one so young, never has there been a successor to pass the Test of Inheritance with such an answer!" He chuckled. "What do you think…does she pass?"

One by one nine orange Flames appeared in front of Naruko. Four on her left and four on her right with one directly opposite. Each of the Flames she saw differed from one another some were a plain orange, some a dark orange-red – ' _Tainted?_ ' she thought. But there was one that caught her interest above the rest, the one Flame directly opposite her. It resonated deep with her own and she felt she should _know_ this Flame from somewhere. ' _But where?'_

Whilst Naruko's attention was lost amongst the Flames, she failed to notice the masked figures behind them were now quietly observing her.

A small smile played on the face on the tall man opposite her. ' _Just like her mother,'_ he thought and continued to drink in her appearance _._ She was small for her age and her petite figure made her seem even smaller. Long, sunshine-blonde hair fell in gentle waves down to her waist, framing her thin face and curtaining her beautiful features. His heart clenched as he took in her face, a face he instantly recognised from that fateful night many years ago. Her soulful eyes were a deep cerulean blue, a mirror of his own and filled with pain and hope.

His brow creased adding up what he was seeing.

He had hoped after his _death_ Konoha would treat her as a hero, but it seemed that that had not been the case.

His intuition had been right all along it seemed. He had gotten to her just in time.

His thoughts were broken abruptly when he noticed Naruko's eyes on him. She stared unblinkingly at him and he resisted the urge to fidget as his lips twitched upwards. He could see similar expressions on the people around him.

"Welcome Naruko, to the Halls of Succession." He gestured around him.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello readers,

Sorry for the 'radio-silence' but I wasn't happy with my initial upload and decided to re-vamp it. So Chapters 1 & 2 have been reworked for you to read at your leisure.

There will be more Chapters...perhaps quite sporadically...but I will get there!

Enjoy

Elipsiis


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